Let’s do the best we can

#Middlebury #Seniors

A show of hands, please. Is anybody else getting worn out by the current state of our lives? Is there anything we can do about it?

All I wanted was a package of socks. That shouldn’t be hard. In the past, once a year or so, I’d stroll into the local big-box store, grab a package off the shelf (especially happy when I found a bonus pack with 2 extra pairs in it), pay for it and walk out.

And now? Now I can’t find them anywhere. I don’t dare walk into stores just to wander around, so I’m left to do my hunt on the internet. These particular socks are nowhere to be found … except for the ones at three times the price on Amazon.

Then there was the phone call from a neighbor, in the middle of my hunt, describing a new family panic. A family member is undergoing serious medical treatment. They just learned that his nurse tested positive for COVID.

Is anyone else tired of the need for constant vigilance because of COVID? The inability to acquire basic goods and sometimes food? The constant sad stories of seniors who are in rehab centers who haven’t had visitors in months?

That’s probably what breaks my heart the most, all those lonely seniors in nursing homes or retirement centers.

I can’t do anything about the state of the world, but I can do this: Over the next week I’m going to send individual notes and cards to the residents of a local nursing home. I got all their first names and last initials from the facility director, and I’ve ordered a big box of miscellaneous greeting cards. Each one will get a note and a cheery card from me. Maybe it will help brighten their day for a few minutes.

It’s the best I can do.

© 2020 King Features Synd. Inc.